Patents Assigned to Kokusai Electric Corporation
  • Patent number: 11906367
    Abstract: According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a substrate temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of a substrate, wherein the substrate temperature sensor is provided in a protective pipe passing through a notch provided at least in a bottom plate of a substrate retainer inserted into a process chamber in a state where the substrate is mounted on the substrate retainer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tokunobu Akao, Hitoshi Murata, Akinori Tanaka, Masaaki Ueno
  • Publication number: 20240055259
    Abstract: Described herein is a technique capable of suppressing the generation of particles due to a film peeling in a process chamber. According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including: (a) loading a substrate with an oxide film formed thereon into a process chamber wherein a metal-containing film is formed on a wall or other location in the process chamber; (b) supplying into the process chamber with at least one among: a gas containing a group 14 element and hydrogen; and a gas containing oxygen; and (c) forming the metal-containing film on the substrate after (b).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2023
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Arito OGAWA
  • Publication number: 20240055237
    Abstract: There is provided is a technique that includes: a process chamber in which at least one substrate is processed; and at least one buffer chamber in which plasma is formed, wherein the at least one buffer chamber includes at least two application electrodes of different lengths to which high frequency electric power is applied, and a reference electrode subjected to a reference potential.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2023
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Applicant: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi TAKEDA, Daisuke Hara
  • Publication number: 20240055252
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes: (a) supplying a silicon- and ligand-containing gas to a substrate having a surface on a first base and second base are exposed to adsorb silicon contained in the silicon- and ligand-containing gas on a surface of one of the first and second base; (b) supplying a fluorine-containing gas to the substrate after the silicon is absorbed, to cause the silicon to react with the fluorine-containing gas to modify the surface to be F-terminated; and (c) supplying a film-forming gas to the substrate after the surface is modified, to thereby form a film on a surface of the other of the first base and the second base, which is different from the one of the first base and the second base.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2023
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Kimihiko NAKATANI
  • Patent number: 11898247
    Abstract: Described herein is a technique capable of adjusting a balance in film thickness between surfaces of a plurality of substrates stacked in a process chamber. According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including: a process chamber capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates; a gas supplier configured to supply a process gas to the plurality of the substrates in the process chamber; a gas exhauster configured to discharge the process gas from the process chamber; and a plurality of disks interposed between the plurality of the substrates, respectively, and in vicinity of back surfaces of the plurality of the substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Hidenari Yoshida, Takafumi Sasaki, Yusaku Okajima
  • Publication number: 20240047233
    Abstract: According to the present disclosure, there is provided a technique capable of improving a throughput and suppressing an oxidation of a surface of a substrate and an adhesion of particles to the surface of the substrate. According to one aspect thereof, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a plurality of process chambers; a transfer chamber provided adjacent to the plurality of process chambers and maintained in a decompressed state; a waiting chamber capable of communicating with the transfer chamber in the decompressed state, provided with a plurality of supports capable of supporting a plurality of substrates after a process set for a first process chamber among the plurality of process chambers is completed, and configured such that an inert gas is supplied for every predetermined number of substrates among the plurality of substrates respectively supported by the plurality of supports.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2023
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Naofumi OHASHI, Tomihiro Amano, Tomoyuki Miyada
  • Publication number: 20240047180
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes a process chamber in which a substrate is processed, a substrate retainer on which a plurality of substrates are stacked in multiple stages, a plasma generator generating plasma inside the process chamber, and a magnet generating a magnetic field inside the process chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke HARA, Takashi YAHATA, Tsuyoshi TAKEDA
  • Publication number: 20240043993
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes: a process chamber capable of processing a substrate; a substrate mounting table including a substrate mounting surface; a process gas supply system supplying process gas into the process chamber; a cleaning gas supply system supplying cleaning gas and cleaning assistant gas to a side surface of the substrate mounting table; an exhaust system capable of exhausting an atmosphere in the process chamber; and a controller capable of controlling the process gas supply system, the cleaning gas supply system, and the exhaust system such that the process gas is supplied to the process chamber while the substrate is on the substrate mounting surface and the cleaning gas and the cleaning assistant gas are supplied to the side surface of the substrate mounting table while the substrate is not on the substrate mounting surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2023
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Naonori AKAE
  • Patent number: 11894239
    Abstract: There is provide a technique that includes: etching a base on a surface of a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times, the cycle including: (a) forming a layer on a surface of the base by supplying a modifying agent to the base; and (b) causing a reaction between a halogen-containing radical and the base by supplying a halogen-containing gas to the layer such that the layer reacts with the halogen-containing gas to generate the halogen-containing radical.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Motomu Degai, Kimihiko Nakatani, Takashi Nakagawa, Takayuki Waseda, Yoshitomo Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 11891697
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes: a process chamber in which a substrate is processed; a gas supplier configured to supply a gas into the process chamber; at least one substrate mounting table disposed in the process chamber and including a substrate mounting surface on which the substrate is mounted; and an arm configured to transfer the substrate to the substrate mounting surface while supporting a lower surface of the substrate, wherein the arm includes a support that includes an inclination and is configured to support the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Naofumi Ohashi, Takashi Yahata, Yukinori Aburatani, Shun Matsui
  • Publication number: 20240038530
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes: forming a film containing Si, O and N or a film containing Si and O on a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times under a condition where SiCl4 is not gas-phase decomposed, the cycle including non-simultaneously performing: (a) forming NH termination on a surface of the substrate by supplying a first reactant containing N and H to the substrate; (b) forming a SiN layer having SiCl termination formed on its surface by supplying the SiCl4 as a precursor to the substrate to react the NH termination formed on the surface of the substrate with the SiCl4; and (c) reacting the SiN layer having the SiCl termination with a second reactant containing O by supplying the second reactant to the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuyoshi HARADA, Yoshitomo HASHIMOTO, Tatsuru MATSUOKA
  • Publication number: 20240035155
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes removing a substance adhering to the interior of the process container by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times under a first temperature, the cycle including: (a) supplying one gas of a nitrogen- and hydrogen-containing gas and a fluorine-containing gas into the process container after a substrate is processed; and (b) supplying the other gas different from the one gas of the nitrogen- and hydrogen-containing gas and the fluorine-containing gas into the process container where the one gas remains.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Keigo NISHIDA, Kenichi ISHIGURO, Takashi OZAKI
  • Patent number: 11885016
    Abstract: There is included (a) forming a film on a substrate by supplying a first processing gas to the substrate in a process container; (b) forming a first pre-coated film, which has a first thickness and has a material different from a material of the film formed in (a), in the process container by supplying a second processing gas into the process container in a state in which the substrate does not exist in the process container; and (c) forming a second pre-coated film, which has a second thickness smaller than the first thickness and has the same material as the material of the film formed in (a), on the first pre-coated film formed in the process container by supplying a third processing gas into the process container in the state in which the substrate does not exist in the process container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Harada, Shintaro Kogura, Masayoshi Minami
  • Publication number: 20240030026
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes (a) forming a first adsorption-inhibiting layer by adsorbing at least a portion of a molecular structure of molecules constituting a first precursor on a surface of a first base by supplying the first precursor to a substrate including the first base and a second base on a surface of the substrate, (b) forming an adsorption-promoting layer on a surface of the second base by supplying a reactant to the substrate, (c) forming a second adsorption-inhibiting layer by adsorbing at least a portion of a molecular structure of molecules constituting a second precursor on a surface of the adsorption-promoting layer by supplying the second precursor, which is different in molecular structure from the first precursor, to the substrate, and (d) forming a film on the surface of the first base by supplying a film-forming substance to the substrate subjected to (a), (b), and (c).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2023
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Shoma MIYATA, Kimihiko NAKATANI, Takayuki WASEDA, Yoshitomo HASHIMOTO
  • Patent number: 11873555
    Abstract: Described herein is a technique capable of stabilizing a supply flow rate of a vaporized gas. According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a vaporizer including: a liquid vessel in which a liquid source is stored; a first heater capable of heating the liquid source by immersion into the liquid source stored in the liquid vessel; a second heater capable of heating the liquid vessel; a first temperature sensor capable of measuring a temperature of the liquid source by immersion into the liquid source; a second temperature sensor capable of measuring a temperature of the liquid vessel; and a controller capable of controlling the first heater based on the temperature measured by the first temperature sensor and controlling the second heater based on the temperature measured by the second temperature sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Gen Li, Hirohisa Yamazaki, Kenichi Suzaki
  • Patent number: 11876010
    Abstract: There is provided a configuration that includes a substrate holder configured to hold substrates; a transfer mechanism configured to transfer the substrates to the substrate holder; and a controller configured to: acquire a number of substrates mountable on the substrate holder and a number of the product substrates to be mounted on the substrate holder; divide the product substrates into product substrate groups; divide the dummy substrates into dummy substrate groups based on the number of the product substrates, the number of the substrates mountable on the substrate holder, and a number of the product substrate groups; combine the product substrate groups and the dummy substrate groups; create substrate arrangement data for distributing and mounting the product substrates on the substrate holder; and cause the transfer mechanism to transfer the substrates according to the substrate arrangement data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tadashi Okazaki, Hajime Abiko, Tomoyuki Miyada, Yukinao Kaga
  • Publication number: 20240014032
    Abstract: There is included (a) loading a substrate where a conductive metal-element-containing film is exposed on a surface of the substrate into a process chamber under a first temperature; (b) supplying a reducing gas to the substrate while raising a temperature of the substrate to a second temperature higher than the first temperature in the process chamber; (c) forming a first film on the metal-element-containing film, by supplying a first process gas, which does not include an oxidizing gas, to the substrate under the second temperature in the process chamber; and (d) forming a second film on the first film such that the second film is thicker than the first film, by supplying a second process gas, which includes an oxidizing gas, to the substrate under a third temperature higher than the first temperature in the process chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2023
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro HARADA, Masayoshi Minami, Shintaro Kogura, Shogo Otani, Yoshitomo Hashimoto
  • Publication number: 20240014055
    Abstract: There is provided a technique, which includes: at least one substrate processing apparatus including a controller configured to be capable of controlling processing of a substrate according to a recipe including at least one step and a first memory configured to be capable of storing data of the at least one substrate processing apparatus that is reported during the processing of the substrate; and a data manager connected to the at least one substrate processing apparatus, configured to acquire the data, and configured to be capable of specifying the number of the at least one step that is included in the data to be acquired such that the data falls within a predefined data acquirable range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2023
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi YAMAMOTO, Hidemoto Hayashihara, Kayoko Yashiki, Kyohei Kita, Kazuhide Asai
  • Patent number: 11869785
    Abstract: Described herein is a technique capable of detecting a substrate state without contacting the substrate. According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided (a) loading a substrate retainer, where a plurality of substrates is placed, into a reaction tube; (b) processing the plurality of the substrates by supplying a gas into the reaction tube; (c) unloading the substrate retainer out of the reaction tube after the plurality of the substrates is processed; and (d) detecting the plurality of the substrates placed on the substrate retainer after the substrate retainer is rotated by a first angle with respect to a transferable position, wherein the plurality of the substrates is transferable to/from the substrate retainer in the transferable position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Miyada, Hajime Abiko, Junichi Kawasaki, Tadashi Okazaki
  • Patent number: 11869748
    Abstract: Described herein is a technique capable of suppressing sputtering on an inner peripheral surface of a process vessel when a process gas is plasma-excited in the process vessel. According to one aspect thereof, a substrate processing apparatus includes: a process vessel accommodating a process chamber where a process gas is excited into plasma; a gas supplier supplying the process gas into the process chamber; a coil wound around an outer peripheral surface of the process vessel and spaced apart therefrom, wherein a high frequency power is supplied to the coil; and an electrostatic shield disposed between the outer peripheral surface and the coil, wherein the electrostatic shield includes: a partition extending in a circumferential direction to partition between a part of the coil and the outer peripheral surface; and an opening extending in the circumferential direction and opened between another part of the coil and the outer peripheral surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Yasui, Katsunori Funaki, Yasutoshi Tsubota, Koichiro Harada